That's How
by JustSitBackAndWatch
Summary: I never thought Draco Malfoy would be mine, I only dreamt of it. Written for the 'I Never' challenge. R&R! Rated T because I'm paranoid.


_**Disclaimer: **If I were J.K. Rowling, I would not be writing fanfiction - I would be writing more books! Also, if I did happen to be that magnificent woman, I would be a rich adult, not a broke teenager. Okay? Good. Glad we cleared that up. _

_**A/N: **I'm a bundle of nerves - this is the first fanfiction I've posted on here. I checked it for typos and such, but I may have let a couple slip - apologies if that is the case. Written for the "I Never" challenge. Hope you enjoy. (:_

Of all the people in England, I never thought Draco Malfoy would be mine. _Mine_. My husband, my lover, the father of my child. I expected my parents to pair me up with a Zabini or a Parkinson, as they had never been close to the Malfoys. Well, that's what I _thought._

At school, I was ridiculously unlike my sister. She was the one on the arm of a different bloke every weekend, she was the one who picked on First Years, she was the one who got ridiculously drunk and slept with her best friend's brother. Daphne's the blonde girl that never stops smirking, gets good grades despite never working, hardly ever gets in trouble despite being the one at fault.

No, that wasn't me at all. I was the quiet, raven-haired little sister who would rather coop up with a book in the library than snog the face off of a stranger in Three Broomsticks. I was the one that had to study to get decent grades, that never touched alcohol until I was of age, got in trouble every time I broke even the tiniest of rules. I hung out with true Slytherins to try and keep up an image, but everyone saw through me. Hell, even Ginny Weasley told me I should have been in Hufflepuff. I knew she was right. I was a cute and fluffy badger that handed out home-baked cookies to the homeless, not an evil snake that tortured people without remorse. I was nothing but a pathetic, love-deprived, goody-two-shoes of a little sister.

I was just Astoria Greengrass, the girl nobody knew.

It was only natural that Draco Malfoy wouldn't notice me, wouldn't pay any attention to me, wouldn't know of my existence. When you hung around with people like Daphne, it would be pretty easy to forget about someone like me. And because Merlin is a cruel, cruel man with a wicked sense of humour, he contacted Cupid, who is just as villainous, and told him to shoot an arrow with my name on at the youngest Malfoy. Yeah, I've been in love with Draco Malfoy ever since I was eleven bloody years old.

Okay, so I probably wasn't _in love_ with him then. But I certainly fancied the pants off of him. It was awful, being attracted to your sisters friend. Your sisters friend whom, might I add, was two and a half years older than you. I'd watch him at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall as he laughed with his friends. I admired the way he slicked his hair back to keep it out of his face, and when he finally gave up on that, how it fell in front of his grey eyes. I loved how his teeth were so straight and so white – my teeth had been all over the place until Mother fixed them with a spell, but they could never stay such a dazzling white as Draco's. I used to be afraid of storms until I saw his eyes, a cloudy grey, and after I had, I couldn't survive a storm without thinking of him.

I think I fell in love during Third Year, when he was in his Fifth. Umbridge was there that year and he was in the Inquisitorial Squad, but I overheard him telling Daphne that he "hated the ugly toad more than the Golden Trio and their pathetic little followers." His words, not mine, hence the quotation marks. I don't know what _made_ me fall in love with him then and there, but I did. Well, I think I did. I don't think we ever truly know _when_ he fall in love, we only know when we _realise_ it.

I was heartbroken when I found out he almost killed Dumbledore when I was in Fourth Year. I locked myself in my room and cried for hours. Daphne knocked on the door, threatened to break it down, but I didn't care. Then again, a heartbroken girl doesn't care about much when they're heartbroken, except the thing that made them such.

Fifth Year was when he finally began to notice me. Or rather, I made myself noticed. Despite Death Eaters controlling the school, Draco's followers were too ashamed to hang around with him any more, so they scampered off to find a new leader. Blaise, Theodore and Pansy were the only ones who stayed even remotely loyal to him. He was a different person, destroyed and broken. I found myself comforting him one night as he talked about the loss of his recently deceased friend. He eventually told me all about how his father forced him to become a Death Eater at the age of sixteen, how he was forced into being a spy at Hogwarts, how he spent all his time trying to fix the Vanishing cabinet. In return, I told him how I always felt overshadowed by my sister and how I hated that people always expected me to be like her. I told him how frustrating it was when people acted surprised upon finding out Daphne and I were related. I told him everything that was on my mind, except for the _tiny_ little fact that I was head over heels in love with him. When I got in trouble, and the Death Eaters beat me, it was Draco's shoulder I cried on, Draco's words that comforted me.

We became, well, friends.

The war passed, ending the lives of many, my father and sister among them. As I entered Hogwarts for my Sixth Year, I was surprised to find that Draco was re-doing his Seventh, and once again, we found comfort in each other. I was his shoulder to cry on for his mother, for Daphne, for Crabbe; and he was mine in return, for my father, my sister … and all the other lives lost in the battle. It was an emotionally tough time for _everyone_ at Hogwarts, and I thought myself lucky to have someone to get me through this tough time.

But all good things must come to an end, and as I entered Seventh Year, I entered it alone. It was tough the first few months, being unable to confide in anyone, but I soon managed to find comfort through mail. It wasn't the same as hearing his voice and feeling his arms wrapped around me, but it sufficed. I left Seventh Year happily, pleased to be escaping the prison of a school. My heart ached to see Draco again and when I did, he had a smile on his face, making my heart flutter.

"Your mother has news for you," he told me brightly, throwing an arm casually over my shoulder.

"She does?"

"You'll love it. Or, at least, I hope you will."

"Tell me!"

"It's not my place to tell, Tory, I'm sorry. But I'll leave you with this."

And then he kissed me. Just for a moment. He leant down and pressed his lips against mine, and then he was pulling away and had Apparated before I could wrap my head round what he had done. Naturally, I rushed back to the house, to my mother, and demanded to know the news.

"Well, Sweetie," Mother began nervously, "When you were born, arranged marriages were very popular among Pureblood families. And once you've signed the magical contract for your child, your child can't get out of it unless the other person involved passes away before they're of legal age."

"And?" I pressed eagerly, having a good idea where it was leading.

"Narcissa Malfoy and I, we were very good friends when I was pregnant with you … and she was having trouble finding a suitable girl for her son. So, naturally, I offered and … we signed the contract."

"So, what your saying is … I'm Draco's fiancé?" I asked, trying to sound as calm as possible while my insides were singing and flipping.

"I understand you two are friends so it might be awkward but … yes, Sweetie, that's what I'm trying to say. Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine … I'm, yeah, I'm fine." Bloody fantastic, actually. "Just in shock, I think. Excuse me." I ran out the door, in search of Draco, only to find him standing at the gates of my garden.

"So, you hoped I'd love the idea of being your future-wife, eh?" I asked breathlessly as I reached him, sounding calmer than I felt.

"What can I say? You're Astoria Greengrass."

"Greengrass … Malfoy … Astoria Malfoy," I tested.

"Has a ring to it, I think," Draco mused.

"I agree." An awkward silence settled between us, until I filled it with, "So, how long have you, uh, liked me?"

He blushed a little and shuffled his feet awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd say, about half way through my first Seventh Year. You know, when we were talking. How about you?"

I blushed and bit my lip, mumbling my answer.

"What was that?"

"Since I first saw you."

"You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding."

"I wish I could."

He ran a hand through his hair. "You know that's really … creepy, right?"

"Merlin, Draco, thanks for the self-esteem boost," I said sarcastically. "But yes, I do realise that I was a creepy little child and I have grown into a creepy little woman."

"You are pretty little, aren't you?" he mused, earning a scowl from me.

I hit his arm. "Hey! I'm not short, you're just lanky."

"You're small and adorable, Astoria, face it."

I blushed at his choice of words and looked at my feet, biting my lip.

And that is how, seven months later, I found myself walking down the isle with the older, blonde man waiting for me at the end. That is how, a year after that, I had a beautiful newborn baby boy in my arms. That is how, when my boy became eleven, we watched him leave for Hogwarts.

That is how my dreams became true, and Draco Malfoy became _mine_.

* * *

_**A/N: **Despite being a Draco/Astoria fic, I'm pretty proud of it. Sure, it's not my best, and the dialogue could be better, but I'm still pretty proud of it. I actually had a lot of fun writing Astoria because there's just so much wiggle room. In other fics I've written, I've portrayed Daphne as the kind Slytherin, so it was kind of fun to make her sound like an evil slut, while her sister is the kind one. Draco isn't OOC, in case you're wondering, because everyone has a softer side ... and he's head over heels for Astoria (though Astoria didn't know it ;D), so he's bound to act warmer around her. _

_Yeah, so, just want to say thanks for reading ...  
__And would it be too much to ask for a review? One-liner? Flame? Constructive crit? I'd appreciate them all. (:_

_Signed,  
__**Watcher x**_


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